


I Couldn't Hear You, And I Lost Everything Because of It

by Ibealargenerd



Category: Free!, Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Child Neglect, Crossover, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, Multi, Oblivious Kageyama Tobio, Oblivious Oikawa Tooru
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:16:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29502582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ibealargenerd/pseuds/Ibealargenerd
Summary: Kageyama Tobio was deaf. Okay, technically his hearing was impaired, so he could hear with hearing aids, but that was a lot to explain. Saying that he was deaf was just easier. Not that he actually told people he was deaf, of course. He had some amount of pride. Still, even Tobio knew that his middle school classmates were saying something about him. He just didn't know what. And on top of that, his soul mates rejected him without even realizing they were soul mates! He wished he could make a change, but it didn't seem like that would happen any time soon. In short, being deaf makes life complicated.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Kageyama Tobio/Kindaichi Yuutarou/Kunimi Akira/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 36
Kudos: 151





	1. Chapter 1: What Are They Saying?

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Haikyuu!! Fic and AO3 fic, so please don't judge me too harshly. Reviews are welcome, though!  
> Also: , [thoughts]. Sorry, I don't know how to use italics or bold print with this site.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first Haikyu!! fic and AO3 fic, so please don't judge me too harshly. Also, {this is sign language,} and [these] are thoughts.

Kageyama Tobio knew that his parents didn't care about him. It was only to be expected. They were perfectionists, and he was flawed. Irreversibly flawed. 

Not that his flaws stopped him from playing volleyball. Nothing could stop him from doing what he loved, what his grandfather had given him.

It stung a little, of course. It's not like he asked to be deaf. And he did all he could to adapt so that his parents wouldn't have to learn sign language. It took years for him to learn to speak clearly. And since he still couldn't hear himself, he didn't always have control over his tone of voice or his volume. People would think he was angry, but he wasn't. He just couldn't hear himself. 

Hearing aids would make things easier. That much was obvious. But Tobio knew that his parents wouldn't buy them for him, and he didn't have the money to buy them himself. He had gotten a job to raise the money for him as soon as he was able. Unfortunately, that wasn't until his third year of middle school. And buy then, his being deaf had already caused enormous problems.

The problems started in his first year. He couldn't always hear Okinawa-senpai, and thus couldn't hear when the third year told him to go away. It wasn't until Oikawa faced him and Tobio could read his lips that the eager first year got the message.

Something else was going on, too. Tobio had gotten two different names on his arms since the beginning of the school year: Oikawa Good I and Iwaizumi Hajime. It wasn't until he joined the volleyball club that he realized that it was them. He kept it hidden pretty well, simply because he was self conscious, but he had noticed that his two senpais' names also showed up on Kindaichi's arms and Kunimi's arms.

Unfortunately for him, Tobio had a hard time communicating with people. He had a feeling that this would be the case, even if he wasn't deaf. So whenever he tried to hang out with those four people, they would look at him weird.

That might've had something to do with the fact that he never talked.

Of course, it wasn't until a person turned fifteen that their name showed up on their soulmate. As long as he kept it hidden, per his parent's orders, his four soul mates wouldn't even know he was part of the bond until he turned fifteen. He wanted to tell them quite badly, but he knew enough to know that his presence annoyed Oikawa greatly. And besides, he still couldn't hear himself talk. He might sound loud and angry, when really he just felt excited. That would just make things more complicated.

In the end, he just decided to keep it a secret. If he didn't, his parents might lock him up in the closet again. 

Needless to say, at this point, Tobio had developed severe claustrophobia.

Well, he mostly kept it a secret. Except for three people: his cousin, Matsuoka Sadashi, and her siblings, Run and Gou. Adopted siblings, that is. Samadhi was the daughter of Tobio's uncle on his father's side, and had lived in Iwatobi. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was seven and Tobio was five. Tobio's parents couldn't be bothered to take her in, so when Rin's mother called with the offer to adopt Sadashi, they signed over custody without a second thought.

When Samadhi, Gou, and Rin visited Tobio for his thirteenth birthday was when he brought it up.

{I might or might not have met my soul mates,} he said. {Please don't tell anyone.} 

Immediately, his three cousins started bombarding him with so many signs that he couldn't keep up. For Tobio, covering his eyes was the equivalent to plugging his ears, so that is exactly what he did. 

When he uncovered his eyes, the three of them had stopped signing and looked sheepish. 

{Sorry, Blueberry,} Sadashi signed. {I guess we got a little excited there.}

{Blackberry, you and I have very different ideas of what "a little excited" means.}

It was then that Rin decided to join the conversation. {Maybe so, Blueberry, but you just found your soul mates. That's a big deal!}

{Maybe it is a big deal, Raspberry. But even if it I am excited about it, I can't act like it. Not with my parents being the way they are with soulmate stuff.}

{While it isn't nice, I have to agree with blueberry on this,} Gou added. {Tsukiko and Takashi are pieces if work when it comes to soul mates.}

{Thanks, Strawberry,} Tobio said with a smirk. {It's nice to see that one of you gets it without me having to explain it.}

{Come on, Blueberry,} Rin said. {Is that how you thank the cousins who are trying to comfort you?}

{Well...}Tobio rubbed his chin as if he were thinking hard about his answer. {Yeah, I think it is.}

Tobio saw Sadashi laughing. {You're in for it now, Blueberry.}

Too late, Tobio realized that Rin was upon him. 

"Ack! Rin, get off!"

Tobio claimed he hated it when Rin gave him noogies-honest to God noogies- but the way he laughed and hardly fought back revealed that he actually loved the attention. It made sense, since his parents never gave him any growing up. 

That was one of the many times Tobio talked about soulmates with Rin, Sadashi, and Gou. All throughout middle school, they were always the first people he confided in. And, starting in his third year, he had a lot to confide in them about.

{The other students are talking about me,} he said one day over Skype on the tablet his cousins had given him. {The problem is that if not know what they're saying or why they're saying it. It also seemed like Kindaichi and Kunimi are doing it the most.}

{Hmm.}Sadashi looked grim, as did Rin and Gou. {Do you want us to come to some of your games to try and see what this is about?}

{Well...}Tobio bit his lip. {I would like that, but...}

{But?} Rin asked. 

{I don't want to bother you. I know you three are already busy, with your swim clubs and everything. I'd feel bad.}

In perfect unison, it seemed, the Matsuoka siblings shook their heads with sad smiles on their faces. 

{Don't even think like that, Blueberry,} Gou said. 

{Yeah,}Sadashi agreed. {If it was a bother, we wouldn't have offered to come.}

It went back and forth like that for a few minutes, with Tobio insisting that it wasn't necessary and the others insisting that they didn't care. Eventually, Tobio just gave in. Because as stubborn as Tobio could be, Rin, Sadashi, and Gou were even worse. 

It was after a game against a tiny school called Yukigaoka that he got his first clue. The team hadn't been very good, but the captain had this amazing athleticism, and he was fast. Tobio had been curious as to how the kid got so fast, so he tried asking him.

"What have you been doing these past three years-?" At that moment, Sadashi caught his eye in the stands. She was shaking her head with a concerned expression, so Tobio stopped talking and went back to the team. He bit his lip, wondering what she had meant. 

He got his answer soon enough. When he met up with his cousins, it was the first thing he asked. Gou seemed to be missing though, but since Rin wasn't worried, neither was he. 

{Well,} Sadashi began. {I know you didn't mean to, Blueberry, but you sounded really angry}

{Oh.} Tobio winced. {Do you think it's too late for me to apologize?}

{Nope!} Sadashi smiled. {Actually, Gou is working on that right now.

"Huh?"

Seconds later, like magic, Gou appeared with the captain of Yukigaoka in tow. The boy was about a head shorter that Tobio, with bright red hair. Immediately, Tobio nicknamed him Tangerine in his head.

"Ah!" The boy exclaimed. "The King of The Court!"

[The what?] Tobio thought. He shook it off, though. 

{Can you let me known if I sound angry or if I'm getting too loud?} he asked Sadashi. When she nodded, he faced Yukigaoka's captain. 

"Um... Sorry to drag you over here, but... I wanted to apologize."

Whatever the redhead was expecting, this didn't seem to be it. "Huh?"

"My cousin told me that I sounded really angry when I was talking to you after the game. I didn't mean to sound angry. What I meant was that you had a whole lot of potential as a volleyball player. And when I asked what you had been doing for the past three years, I was wondering what you did to get so fast."

"Oh." The small captain seemed taken aback for a moment before he spoke again. "Well, I accept your apology, but how come you didn't realize that you sounded pissed?" 

At first, Tobio wasn't sure how to answer. He was pretty private when it came to his hearing problems. Still, since the boy had accepted his apology, Tobio thought that he might not be too bad. In the end, since he was apologizing, he might as well be honest in this matter as well. 

"I'm clinically deaf. I can't hear without hearing aids, and I haven't earned enough money to buy them yet. The reason I sounded angry was because I'm passionate about volleyball, but I couldn't hear myself talk. That's why I'd rather use sign language like I do at home."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second," the redhead interrupted. "You've been playing as one ofnthe best middle school setters... And you've been deaf this whole time?"

"Uh... Yes?"

"..."

"..."

"WHAT THE HELL?!?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sign language nicknames:   
> Tobio: Blueberry.  
> Sadashi: Blackberry  
> Rin: Raspberry  
> Gou: Strawberry  
> Shoyou (in the future): Tangerine


	2. It Would Have Been Easier If I Could Hear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobio wished he could have made a change sooner. Even so, there was no repeating his years in middle school to fix his mistakes. The most he could do was continue to adapt and lean on the people he cared about when he needed to. Still, that didn't make it hurt any less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! I'm back! Thank you so much to those who left kudos for this story. It was quite the confidence boost!   
> Anywho, I figured I should explain this. Sadashi and Rin are in the same year as Oikawa in this story, so Tobio's third year in middle school is the equivalent to the first season of Free! Also, I didn't really explain this, but the way soul mates work in this story is that when you turn 15, your name appears on your soulmates' arms.  
> Maybe I didn't really have to explain this, but I didn't want anyone to get confused, and I'm paranoid.  
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

It was quite a shock to Tobio that Tangerine-kun reacted so strongly. If he had known what was coming, he probably wouldn't have revealed so much. 

After all, Tobio was known in his family for being very private, especially when it came to his medical problems.

After seeing how he made several people in the vicinity jump, Rin and Sadashi included, the redhead blushed a bit and apologized. (At least, Tobio thought it was an apology. He couldn't read the boy's lips because his head was bowed.)

When Tangerine-kun stood back up, he smiled at Tobio sheepishly.

"Sorry. I was just really shocked. The fact that you're one of the top setters in the prefecture even though you can't hear made me feel all thwah! and gwah!, and I couldn't keep it in."

"Oh, um... That's alright, I guess. Since you were just shocked."

Tobio honestly didn't know what to make of the small volleyball captain. It didn't look like he wanted to offend anyone, and he didn't have a problem with Tobio being deaf. What was even stranger was that Tobio didn't find it difficult to talk to him. Normally, he was only able to have a normal conversation with Sadashi, Rin, and Gou. 

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to make a friend outside of his family today.

"Um... What's your name?" Tobio asked.

The redhead started. "Oh! I'm Shoyo. Hinata Shoyo. What about you?"

"Kageyama Tobio. These are my cousins, Sadashi, Rin, and Gou. How long have you been playing volleyball?"

"Well, unofficially, I've been playing since the beginning of middle school, but I never had any teammates until this year. Two members from today aren't even volleyball players. They're friends from the soccer and basketball teams."

Tobio's eyes widened as that information sunk in. "So you've gotten this far without a proper team?"

"Yep, I guess you could say that." Hinata cocked his head as if a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, Kageyama, do you wanna exchange phone numbers?"

"Huh?" 

"After talking to you, I can tell you aren't as mean as I thought you were. We can be volleyball friends, and maybe you can teach me how to improve my terrible receives." Tobio let out a snort, and Hinata grinned at him. "Yes, of course I know they're bad. You'd have to be blind not to see that."

And so, with that, Kageyama Tobio gained his first volleyball friend, and gained an additional use for his cell phone. As he stared out the window on the bus ride back to Kitagawa Daiichi, Tobio couldn't help but think that maybe winning wasn't the only thing that made volleyball fun.

\--0--

'Why did no one jump for the spike?'

'Why are they looking at me like that?'

'What did I do wrong?'

These three thoughts were the only things going through his head as he was led to the bench. He had no idea what he had done wrong. Did he miss something because if his hearing? Did he sound angry when he wasn't? Did he tell when he didn't mean to? Those were the only explanations he could think of, but with it being perfectly clear that the team he was no longer a part of had no intention of speaking to him again, all he could do was wonder. 

What made it even worse was that his cousins weren't here for him to fall back on. Shoyo, who proved to be just as supportive as them, hadn't been able to come either.

When the game finally ended and he was allowed to go home, Tobio found himself glad for once that his parents never came home, nor pay attention to him. He just wanted to be alone right now. He didn't even have it in him to call Sadashi. 

As soon as he was certain that his parents weren't around, Tobio let the numbness be overtaken by the anger and sadness he had desperately been suppressing since he was led to the bench. When the first tears fell, that was the end. There was no holding back the tears that poured down his face. 

'All I wanted was to play volleyball,' he thought. 'I just wanted to make Grampa proud.'

\--0--

The rest of the school year passed in a blur. Tobio retired from the club before the other third years. After all, they made it clear that he wasn't welcome anymore. Instead, he practiced volleyball at home and put all of his energy at school into avoiding his old teammates. And he hadn't said a word since the volleyball game.

Tobio knew that his cousins were worried, and he felt bad about that, but he couldn't bring himself to put on a cheerful face for them. And he couldn't hide how hurt he was that two of his soulmates initiated the whole thing.

It got to the point where the only reason Tobio could keep track of the days was because of something that was coming up during winter break. And honestly, Tobio had never looked forward to this day less: his birthday.

He was turning fifteen.

After everything that happened at Kitagawa Daiichi, Tobio knew that there was no chance of him being accepted by Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kunimi, and Kindaichi. So, he started researching how to put up a wall. 

Thankfully, researchers said that while the initial act of putting up a wall was tiring, it became less noticeable the longer you had it up. So, despite Sadashi's protests, Tobio decided to put up the wall the minute he turned fifteen.

The days started to pass quickly; too quickly for Tobio's liking. He would lie awake at night with one question filling his mind: 'What will happen if I see them after they find out I'm a part of the bond?'

On the bright side, with the lack of volleyball taking over all parts of his life, Tobio was able to pick up some extra shifts at his job at the nearby convenience store. His boss also knew sign language, so there were never any communication problems. Tobio even managed to get a raise, since he was working so diligently.

Of course, that was just because he needed something to take his mind off of his upcoming birthday.

Anyway, thanks to Tobio's diligent work and a raise from his boss, the idea of finally getting a set of hearing aids was getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.

And if the last three years of his life were any indicator, being able to actually here things would make for one he'll of an improvement.

\--0--

Three days left until his birthday. One day until his next payday. Two big moments were coming up for Kageyama Tobio: the purchase of his first pair of hearing aids, and the moment Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kunimi, and Kindaichi found out that he was part of the bond. That was a downside to being the youngest in a poly bond. All four of their names were already on Tobio's arm.

Tobio almost couldn't take the suspense. Thankfully, it was winter break. And winter break meant a visit from the Matsuoka siblings.

{Do you think they'll come looking for me after winter break?} Tobio asked. It was two days until his birthday.

{Don't worry, Blueberry,} Rin said, grinning. {Even if they do come looking for you, we'll protect you.}

Sadashi snorted. {Oh please, Raspberry. You couldn't even protect Shy Shark from Tiny Swimmer. How do you plan to protect Blueberry when you're okay with letting one of your sharks get pounced on?}

The rest of them laughed as Rin sputtered indignantly. After a minute, though, Tobio voiced a question.

"Erm... Shy Shark is Ai-kun, and Tiny Swimmer is Nagisa-kun, right?" When the others nodded, he let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't misunderstood. {We should write down all of the sign language nicknames we've come up with,} he said. {I can barely keep them straight anymore!}

Gou blinked. {Aren't you the one who suggested the sign language nicknames, though, Blueberry?}

Tobio flushed. {Shut up.}

Sadashi laughed. {Still, maybe Blueberry has a point. You ordered your hearing aids yesterday, right?}

{Well, yeah,} Tobio replied. {You were there, Blackberry.}

She smiled. {The point is, you'll have hearing aids once the package arrives. You won't need to use sign language so often. It isn't a bad idea to right down all of the sign language nicknames we've come up with so far.}

At that, Tobio knew that Gou and Rin wouldn't be able to argue with Sadashi's logic.

{Guess that settles that, then,} he signed smugly. Immediately, Rin jumped on him and gave him noogies until Tobio apologized for being a "smug middle school bastard."

He always enjoyed being with his cousins.

\--0--

Three more minutes. Three more minutes until he turned fifteen. Three more minutes until Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kunimi, and Kindaichi found out that he was part of the bond.

Three more minutes until Kageyama Tobio had to put up a wall and block out his soulmates for as long as they resented him.

He had his phone ready. He already had their names in a group chat. It would only be used this once.

Sadashi had offered to stay up with him, but Tobio refused her offer. She might have been on break, but Tobio didn't want his cousin to become sleep-depraved because of him.

Two minutes. 

The plan was to text a simple message to his four soulmates that said he was putting up a wall then leave the chat right after. Then, Tobio would put up the wall. 

He hoped they wouldn't try to contact him. Contrary to popular belief, Tobio knew that if his soulmates started being nice after today, they were doing it out of guilt or pity, not because they cared about him.

One more minute. 

Tobio was glad that his cousins were here for break. Even if this seemed bad, he knew they would support him.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

Midnight.

Immediately, Tobio made the chat and typed out one message:  
-Sorry. I'm putting up a wall. You won't have to deal with me after this.-

Message sent, Tobio removed himself from the group chat. That was the easiest. Now came the hard part.

It was time to put up the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you liked the chapter! If there's anything that wasn't explained clearly, please let me know!  
> Also! I am currently debating between two story lines: one where Tobio goes to Karasuno and his soulmates find out he's deaf at the practice game, and one where Tobio goes to Aoba Josai and the team finds out when he forgets his hearing aids at home one day. Let me know what you think in the comments section!   
> Anyway, thanks for reading!  
>  -Nerd


	3. Moving On Is Far Harder Than I thought It Would Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a horrible end to his third year at Kitagawa Daiichi, it was finally time to enter Karasuno High. Tobio was excited that he would get to hang out with Hinata, who was slowly but surely learning sign language, but at the same time, he was worried. Hinata had been accepting of his being deaf, and the flaws that came with it, but who knew if the rest of the volleyball would be as understanding as the redhead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the feedback. It looks like I'll be going with the Karasuno storyline, so I hope you guys like it!
> 
> Also, I've mainly been writing these on my phone. Does anyone know how to use bold text and italics on this site? I'm so confused.

Going to Seijoh for highschool wasn't an option for Tobio. That much was obvious. He had gotten used to having the wall up 24/7, but he hadn't realized how hard it would be.

In the few months between the end of winter break and the start of spring break, simply being on the same campus as Kunimi and Kindaichi was agonizing. When the three were in the same room, it felt like his body was on fire. The glares they kept sending his way weren't helping, either.

Tobio honestly didn't know what they wanted from him. He never bothered them, he put up a wall, and he retired from the club before the rest of the third years. And it's not like he asked to be apart of the bond. What more did they expect?

Thankfully, the school year was finally over. After many conversations about the Little Giant with Hinata, Tobio decided to enter Karasuno Highschool. It seemed like a safe bet. There was a volleyball club, someone he knew who didn't hate him, and none of the other Kitagawa Daiichi third years were going there.

Tobio also decided to just tell the team about his hearing problems right off the bat. It would be much easier than keeping it a secret, and if he forgot his hearing aids one day, Hinata could translate for him-he learned sign language surprisingly fast-and if he didn't respond right away, they'd know he wasn't ignoring them. Maybe they wouldn't even judge him for it. Maybe Tobio would get lucky again, the way he had with Hinata.

Speaking of hearing aids, Tobio was honestly floored with how much of a difference they made. Of course, that wasn't always a good thing; he could now hear all of the snide remarks from his old teammates- actually, Tobio wasn't even sure he could call them that. But other than that, it was great. He could have a normal conversation with people. He could ask the teacher questions when He didn't understand. Much to his satisfaction, his grades started rising again in those last few months at Kitagawa Daiichi. In fact, he sometimes heard other students whispering about a personality change.

Tobio was glad that he was able to get hearing aids before highschool. He wasn't entirely certain on this, but he had a gut feeling that if he'd had hearing aids in middle school, things would have gone much better; for him and his teammates.

\--0--

On the first day of school, Tobio expected to be fidgeting all day, just waiting for volleyball club. Much to his shock, however, he found himself eagerly paying attention to everything his teachers said. He supposed that the novelty of hearing them was still so knew that he couldn't help but pay attention. Still, that didn't make him any less eager to find Hinata and race to the gym.

As soon as they got there, Hinata checked the closet for a volleyball. "Hey, Kageyama, can you serve some balls for me to practice my receives?"

He grinned at the redhead. "Yeah."

They were just getting into the rhythm of it when they heard a voice.

"I see we've got some keen knew members, huh?"

"Club activities for first years haven't even started. It's nice to see that they're eager, at least."

The two first years stopped practicing to look at who'd spoken. There were three underclassmen, all of whom were shorter than Tobio. There was one who had dark brown hair, one with grey hair, and one with a buzz cut.

Tobio and Hinata bowed, and straightened up before Hinata introduced himself. 

When Hinata was done, Tobio spoke. "I'm Kageyama Tobio. I'm a setter. Also, my hearing is impaired. I have hearing aids right now, but in case I forget them at any point, I wanted to let you know that if you talk to me and I don't answer, I'm not ignoring you. I just can't hear you."

A few moments of shocked silence followed his explanation before the boy with dark brown hair cleared his throat.

"Okay, then. I'm the captain, Sawamura Daichi." 

The grey haired boy spoke up. "I'm the vice captain, Sugawara Koushi. The baldy who's making intimidating faces at you is one of our second years, Tanaka Ryuunosuke."

Tamaki made a peace sign. "Yo."

"So, Kageyama-kun," the captain said, "if you do forget your hearing aids one day, how will we communicate with you?" 

"You can have me get Kageyama's attention for you."

Tobio nodded in agreement. "As long as I can see your face to read your lips, I'll know what you're saying, but since I can't hear myself talk, I prefer to use sign language when I forget my hearing aids. I've been teaching Hinata, so he can translate for me."

Captain Sawamura nodded. "Alright, then. We're about to start practice now. Your guy's practice doesn't officially start until this Monday, but you two are welcome to join us."

Both Tobio and Hinata grinned and bowed their heads slightly. "Yes, sir!"

\--0--

"Hinata, what does he mean by 'king'?"

The entire gym went silent, save for the bouncing of a ball Tanaka had dropped.

The tall megane blinked and let out a laugh. "You've got to be kidding me. How do you not know the nickname your own teammates gave you?"

Tobio thought for a minute before a lightbulb went on in his head. "So that's what they were saying behind my back, huh? I assume it's meant as an insult, since you say my teammates came up with it." He inclined his head to the megane. "I guess I owe you one. Up until now, I had no idea what they were saying about me, since it was always behind my back."

The blond's face went slack with shock. His friend, a boy with freckles called Yamaguchi, patted his arm with a sheepish smile on his face.

"I think we should leave this alone, Tsukki. I think he's changed since the game you saw him play in."

The megane-Tobio thought he heard Tsukishima-shook his head. "I don't get it. You were such a jerk to your teammates. How did you not know about anything?"

"Well, for starters, I'm deaf." Tobio brushed his hair back to reveal his hearing aids. "I wasn't able to afford hearing aids until last December, and I was too proud to tell my teammates about it. In short, I couldn't hear myself talk, so I always kept what I said short and to the point. I didn't realize I was shouting, and I didn't know I sounded angry."

The other two first years-for that was how they were introduced-looked absolutely shellshocked. Tobio waited for a moment to see if they would say anything else. When it became clear that they would take a while to process everything he said, Tobio just shrugged.

"Sorry if I didn't explain that very well. As you could probably see from the Kitagawa Daiichi match, I kind of suck at communicating. I'm gonna keep practicing now, so... Excuse me."

With that, Tobio continued practicing his serves. He kind of understood the shocked silence that surrounded him. After all, even if communication was much easier now, he knew that he was a direct, sometimes even blunt, person.

'Well,' Tobio thought, 'it's up to them how they react to this. Hinata has been a good friend, so it doesn't bother me to much if they don't have a high opinion of me.'

As the practice slowly resumed around him, Tobio found himself smiling. If that brief interaction with Tsukishima didn't bother him, maybe moving forward wasn't so far off after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Sorry if this chapter seems a bit short. I'll try to make it a little longer next time!   
> I hope you like the way I've written Tobio now that he can hear and isn't keeping this big secret from his team. And, I'm sorry, but Tobio when he is able to actually hear and talk is a chatterbox. No one can convince me otherwise.   
> Anywho, I hope you all liked the chapter. Kudos and comments are welcome!  
> Have a good week!  
> -Nerd


	4. I finally Have Friends, Huh? That's A First.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobio was slowly getting used to life at Karasuno. He even went as far as saying that he was as happy there as he was with the Matsuokas. Unfortunately, there was a certain event that was coming up. And it would shake him to his core.
> 
> There was no way he was telling Sadashi about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand I'm back! Thanks to all who left Kudos and comments. Those are all a real confidence boost for me!  
> Anywho, I was inspired by someone in the comments! Forgive me for not remembering your username at this moment, but this genius suggested seeing Tsukishima be protective of Tobio whenever anyone calls him king. Lets just say that during the Aoba Josai game, Tsukki goes ham.  
> (People other than my sister use that, right? I live under a rock for the most part😓)

For the first time in his life, Tobio was enjoying school. 

He never realized this before, but he wasn't actually unintelligent. He was just too stubborn to tell his teachers that he couldn't hear. When he had his hearing aids, though, that was a different story. Let's just say that it wasn't until now that Tobio realizes how satisfying it was to get good grades.

It wasn't just his grades, either. For the first time, Tobio had friends: everyone in the volleyball club, and even a few of his classmates. At first, he had thought that he might not get along with Tsukishima, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd expected. When the middle blocker saw how Tobio acted when he could actually hear, he decided to just forget about the rumours, partially just to spite the ones who made them up.

At the top of the list was, of course, volleyball. He was having much more fun than he did at Kitagawa Daiichi. Thanks to some guidance from Sugawara, Tobio had managed to make a new quick with Hinata. Hinata would jump wherever there were no blockers with his eyes shut, and Tobio would set the ball to him. Already, it had helped them win a practice match against Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. 

Unfortunately for him, something was about to happen that would pretty much wreck his days of peace.

It happened after the practice match against Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. The club advisor, Takeda-sensei, had come running in with news of a practice match.

"You're going to get to play against one of the top four schools in the prefecture!" The megane exclaimed.

"What's the school, Take-chan?" Tanaka asked. 

"Aoba Josai."

Tobio had been serving to Hinata for the redhead to practice receiving, but the moment the word left Takeda-sensei's mouth, his mind went blank. So blank, in fact, that he didn't see the volleyball flying toward his face.

"Oh my gosh, Kageyama, are you okay?" Hinata yelled. "I'm so sorry!"

Tobio shook his head to clear his vision. "You're fine, Hinata. I'm the one who wasn't paying attention. And don't worry, I'm alright."

"Are you sure, Kageyama?" Sawamura asked concernedly (like the dad he is). "You can never be too careful when it comes to hitting your head, you know."

Tobio smiled and bowed his head slightly toward the captain. "I appreciate the concern, Sawamura-san, but I really am okay. I was just caught off guard a little, that's all."

Sawamura looked unconvinced, but he nodded. The attention of everyone in the room turned back to Takeda-sensei. 

"Um... There is one condition for this practice game, though. Whether or not you want to accept it is up to you guys."

Sawamura nodded at their teacher. "What's the condition?"

"Kageyama-kun has to play as setter for the entire game."

Tobio immediately tensed up. When he met the inquiring gaze of his captain, he decided to ask Sugawara for his opinion.

"What do you think, Sugawara-san? If you all want to do this practice match, I'm not opposed, but you're the starting setter for Karasuno. I didn't want to get the spot without working for it."

Sugawara smiled. "I appreciate that, Kageyama, but I think you should take the spot this time. It's not every day Karasuno gets an opportunity to play against any other school, let alone a powerhouse."

"Alright." Tobio made eye contact with Sawamura. "In that case, if you guys want to do the practice match, I'll play setter."

As much as the prospect of seeing his soulmates terrified him, he didn't want to let his teammates-his friends-down. 

Ah, well. He would burn that bridge when he got to it. For now he could focus on showing Hinata different tricks to keep his nerves under control.

Maybe he could even try to apologize, now that his hearing aids let him communicate. As scary as it was, Tobio still wanted to try to make things right.

\--0--

Just his luck, he forgot his hearing aids the day of the practice match.

Even more just his luck, he didn't realize he didn't have them until then the van they were in pulled in to Aobab Josai.

He tapped Hinata on the shoulder.

{Tangerine? I'm really sorry, I didn't realize until just now that I don't have my hearing aids. Can you cover for me?}

Hinata nodded. {That's fine, Blueberry, but will you still be able to set?}

{Yeah. I did it all through middle school, didn't I? Also, can you let the others know for me?}

Hinata nodded, and stood up. His back was turned, so Tobio couldn't read his lips, but based off of the way his teammates were nodding, he guessed that Hinata successfully updated them on the situation.

\--0--

When Tobio saw Kindaichi on the way to the gym, that oh-so-familiar feeling of his skin being on fire came back with a vengeance. He didn't say anything during the interaction, for fear of Kindaichi taking anything he said the wrong way. 

He hated it when he didn't have his hearing aids.

On the bright side, though, Hinata seemed to be so focused on translating for him and letting him know when someone was talking to him that the redhead had forgotten his nerves. Thank goodness for that.

The game got started without a hitch. At least, Tobio thought it did. For some weird reason, though, his teammates were getting tense. At first, he disregarded it as them getting into the match. But as it went on, the tension started to feel like outright anger. That didn't seem right to Tobio, since his and Hinata's quick, combined with all the other attacks, had them close to taking this set. Tobio figured the others should be happy. When their anger kept growing, so did Tobio's confusion.

POV CHANGE: TSUKISHIMA

If they made one more snide comment about Kageyama's middle school days, he was going to serve the ball into their heads. Even Hinata, who was annoyingly cheerful most of the time, was seriously posses. Hell, they all were. And yet, Kageyama just kept playing volleyball. He was completely oblivious, and when the Seijoh guys started making fun of that, too, Tsukishima wanted to flip a table and end their bloodlines. 

Tsukishima's plays started to get more aggressive the angrier he got. 

'Oh, looks like Kageyma finally notice something is up,' he thought. And indeed, Kageyama was giving his teammates the side-eye, probably wondering why they were getting angry.

The megane felt a savage pleasure when they managed to win the first set. Unfortunately, it was then that Seijoh's captain showed up. The squealing of fangirls only served to irritate him even further. 

As the second set went on, Tsukishima found himself forgetting about Seijoh's captain and focused on the game. That was, until the guy interacted with Tobio. 

"Yoo boo, Tobio-chan," he called in this sickeningly sweet voice. "How's that King gig going for you?" 

It made Tsukishima's blood boil, hearing the mention of something that was out of Kageyama's control. He found it satisfying when the annoying guy faltered at Kageyama's lack of response; he most have thought the first-year was ignoring him. In reality, Kageyama's back was turned, so he didn't know someone wanted him. At least, it was satisfying until it became clear that the guy wasn't giving up. 

Finally, in a half-and-half state of pity and annoyance, Hinata nudged Kageyama and pointed to the guy on Seijoh's side of the court. Kageyama tensed up, and the captain repeated himself one more time. It seemed to Tsukishima, though, that since the guy was pretty far away, and he was slurring his word for some reason, Kageyama still didn't know what he said. 

The setter signed something to Hinata. When Hinata signed back, presumably repeating the words of Seijoh's captain, all Kageyama could do was glare at the guy. He didn't do anything to defend himself, despite how much Tsukishima wanted him to. Who cared if he sounded angry? He had every right to, with how they were treating him.

Tanaka-san tapped Kageyama on the shoulder. "Who is that guy, Kageyama? I find him unpleasant."

Hinata spoke as Kageyama signed. "His name is Oikawa-san. He was the captain at Kitagawa Daiichi. He's an amazing setter, but he loves to rule people up. I learned jump serves from watching him."

Tsukishima faced Kageyama and asked his own question. "What do you mean, watching him? Didn't he teach you? He was the captain." Just to be spiteful, Tsukishima raised his voice a little bit to make sure this Oikawa guy heard it. He didn't regret it, even when he felt several pairs of eyes glaring at the back of his head. He just countered the glares by very discreetly putting his hand behind his back and casually flipping them off. He did his best not to smirk at the indignant squawks he heard behind him.

"I probably sounded obnoxious whenever I asked him to teach me, because he always refused," Hinata translated. "He really seemed to dislike me, come to think of it." 

Somehow, as posses off as everyone was, Tsukishima and the other crows managed to get back into the swing of things. Before they knew it, Karasuno was at match point.

And then, Oikawa was brought in as a pinch server.

\--0--

Damn, receiving that serve hurt! That Oikawa guy was rapidly becoming a huge source if annoyance for Tsukishima.

Thankfully, he was able to receive the ball and it got to Kageyama. And that was all the preparation needed for Kageyama and Hinata to pull off their freak quick.

Karasuno won against Seijoh, 2-0.

Tsukishima was so freaking satisfied at the look on the Seijoh team's faces when the crows won. Now he knew: if you want to shut up a volleyball player from Seijoh, beat them in a match. They will pass out from the shock.

\--0--

"That freaking King infuriates me so much. I cannot stand him. The way he was ignoring us like that! Thank God he didn't come to Seijoh!"

Tsukishima had heard enough. He was so fucking pissed off at these people, he wanted to scream.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He turned the corner and grabbed the kid who'd spoken by the front of his shirt.

"You wanna check that there's no one on the same team as a person before you start talking trash about them?" Tsukishima snarled. 

The kid, who had weirdly onion-shaped hair, scowled. "You got a problem, four-eyes?"

"Well, gee, let me think. You talk badly about my teammate, so I shouldn't be pissed off about it, is that what you're saying?" He hissed. "That's kind of hypocritical, seeing as you all had a coronary when I made one snide comment about your captain. At the same time, you guys have been doing the same thing to Kageyama!"

Suddenly, Tsukishima felt someone tapping him on the shoulder. He turned and, speak of the devil, there was Kageyama.

The blue-eyed setter signed something. Tsukishima sighed and turned to face Kageyama so that he could read the megane's lips. 

"Kageyama, Hinata is the only one who's fluent in sign language right now. I don't know what you're saying."

He almost laughed a little when Kageyama pouted; he'd been spending too much time with Sugawara. Before he could call Hinata to translate, his teammate pulled a notebook and pencil out of his bag. He scribbled something out and showed Tsukishima what he'd written.

[Sawamura-san wants us all in the foyer in the next ten minutes. I saw you headed in this direction, and figured I'd let you know.]

Apperently Kindaichi had read the note, too, because he immediately sneered, "that's just like you, King, not even worrying about whether you might be eavesdropping on a private conversation."

Tsukishima's jaw dropped. He looked at the other first year incredulously. "Are you stupid?"

The Seijoh athlete glared at him. "What's your problem, four-eyes?"

Tsukishima scoffed. "First of all, you're insulting my teammate right in front of us. Second, have you really not picked up on any of the hints that got left laying around during this game? Did you not hear me just mention sign language? Did you not notice how Kageyama was communicating with sign language on the court earlier?"

Tsukishima had been standing so that Kageyama could intervene when he wanted, and this was when it finally happened. The setter placed a hand on the middle blocker's shoulder to stop him before writing another note.

[Can you let me know if my volume is loud and my tone is angry?]

Tsukishima nodded. As soon as he did, Kageyama took a deep breath and faced the onion-haired boy. 

"Kindaichi, I'm telling you this because we both went to Kitagawa Daiichi. You can obviously talk to whoever you want, but I would appreciate it if you didn't shout about it."

"What are you talking about, King?" 

It was supposed to sound scornful, but Tsukishima could tell that Kageyama's teammate was shocked that he was speaking civilly. It was a good thing the setter was calm, otherwise he wouldn't have sounded like that. 

The setter took another deep breath. "Kindaichi, I've been deaf my entire life. The only reason I was able to communicate normally in the last few months of middle school was because I was finally able to buy a set if hearing aids." 

The kid-Kindaichi, Kageyama had called him-went pale with shock. While Kindaichi stood there processing that information, Tsukishima and Kageyama started to walk away, but then Kageyama turned one last time.

"Keep in mind, Kindaichi," he said, anger lacing his words for the first time. "I already knew you four hated me. I never asked to be apart of the bond."

At long last, the crows were able to fly away from a place that apparently affected Kageyama Tobio more than Tsukishima could have guessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I decide to make Tobio's soulmates total idiots? Why yes, yes I did. I regret nothing. My thought process was that Oikawa, Kunimi, and Kindaichi were in denial that Tobio could be anything more or less than the arrogant perfectionist they new him as in middle school. Iwaizumi was the only one who suspected that something was up, but since he didn't insult Tobio like the others, Tsukishima didn't notice him. And don't worry, I'll make sure to elaborate on both freak-outs that are coming next chapter: the Seijoh boys finding out that Tobio is deaf, and the crow boys finding out that Tobio's four soulmates included the three people who insulted him the most at rje practice match.  
> I hope you liked getting Tsukki's POV in this chapter! Thanks for reading!  
> -Nerd


	5. That Time the Karasuno and Seijoh Volleyball Teams Yelled A Lot Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seijoh found out Tobio is deaf, Karasuno found out Tobio's soulmates are horrible people, and everyone is freaking out. Tobio decided to just stop paying attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I have returned! Once again, thank you to everyone who has left comments and kudos. I know I keep saying this, but they are major confidence boosts for me. They inspire me to keep writing.
> 
> Anywho, I hope you enjoy the chapter! I have been taught how to use italics and bold print, so be on the look out for that!

_What? What? WHAT?_

Kindaichi could not believe what he'd just heard. Soulmates were supposed to know and accept all parts of each other, and he had known Kageyama for _three years!_

How had he and Akira not noticed? He was kicking himself for being so dumb. Hearing Kageyama's explanation, everything from their three years of middle school suddenly made sense. Kindaichi was shocked that they hadn't figured it out sooner!

_Of course,_ he thought wryly, _we never really_ tried _to figure out why Kageyama acted that way he did. We just assumed he liked being a tyrant._

Now, Kindaichi was regretting it. Badly. 

It was all he could do to stop himself from shaking as he walked back to the other Seijoh players. It would have to wait, because they had to clean up the gym, but he really, _really_ wanted to talk to his soulmates. That is to say, Hajime-san, Tooru-san, and Akira. They had to hear this (no pun intended).

Little did Kindaichi know, Oikawa was finding out at this moment.

POV CHANGE: Oikawa Tooru

When Oikawa was waiting to talk to the Karasuno team, he felt a surge of shock through the bond, and then a whole bunch of regret. It worried him that one of his soulmates was feeling like that, but he knew that none of them would want him to make a scene, especially since their opponents hadn't left the campus. The most he could do was wait until after everyone was finished cleaning up the gym. 

Finally, his patience paid off and he heard the voices of Karasuno's team. 

"We've got a lot of work to do, still," their captain was saying.

"What a very captain-like thing to say," Oikawa piped up as he stepped out from behind the pillar. "And too right you are."

The guy with the buzzcut sneered at the sudden interruption. The tall megane blocker did, too. But for some weird reason, Tobio-chan, the whole reason Karasuno was here in the first place, didn't react at all. It had happened on the court, too. Probably just his kouhai being a brat the way he always was.

 _Not that that bothers me,_ he thought hurriedly. _I couldn't care less if Tobio-chan ignores me. In fact, I'd even say it took him long enough._

Mr. Buzzcut was the one who pulled him out of his train of thought by sneering at him. "Hey, Kageyama, this guy is glaring at you. I think he's trying to pick a fight."

Tobio-chan didn't respond, which surprised Oikawa. Karasuno's upperclassmen didn't seem like the types to let kouhais just ignore them. He was really confused. 

It was the redhead, that Chibi-chan, who added even more questions to the list in Oikawa's head.

"Tanaka-senpai, Kageyama forgot his hearing aids, remember? He can't hear you."

"Oh, yeah." Mr. Buzzcut tapped Tobio-chan on the shoulder- _Doesn't bother me at all that he's touching my kouhai so casually, nope, not at all_ -and repeated his question. The setter winced and looked at Chibi-chan before he made a few hand gestures, none of which the redhead seemed to like. 

"Are you sure, Kageyama?" When the other first year nodded again, the redhead sighed. "He said we can just leave it alone Tanaka-senpai."

Oikawa was getting really confused at this point, but he decided, like the genius he was- _cough cough_ yeah right _cough cough_ -to hide it with snark. "Well now, that's not on, Tobio-chan. Ignoring your senpais, and having another teammate speak for you? That's not very fitting behavior for the King of the Court." Oikawa thought that was a pretty good line, himself. But when he saw the expressions of Tobio-chan's teammates, the smirk that he had taken on melted off his face.

In perfect unison, like a well oiled machine, every crow except Tobio-chan glared death at Oikawa and growled, "Do **not** call him that. It wasn't his fault."

(And all the while, Tobio-chan was just looking at his teammates cluelessly for some reason. Oikawa almost seemed like he had no idea what was going on.)

The team's statement seemed so ridiculous, Oikawa just had to laugh. "His own behavior wasn't his fault? Are you kidding? Who's fault could it be other than his?"

(Tobio-chan had been looking at Oikawa's face at this point, and flinched when he spoke. What was different?)

Chibi-chan looked really pissed off at this point, which shouldn't have been this nerve-wracking. He turned to Tobio-chan and made a series of gestures again. It seemed a little reluctant, but the young setter nodded.

Before he spoke, he placed a finger on his Adam's apple.

"Oikawa-san, first, I'm sorry if I ever sounded obnoxious in middle school. The thing is, I've never meant to shout, and I definitely didn't mean to sound angry. I've been deaf my entire life. I can't hear myself talk. I wasn't able to get hearing aids until near the end of my third year. Even now, since I forgot my hearing aids today, I have to rely on my teammates to let me know if I sound angry or I'm getting too loud. I'm sorry that I didn't give you this explanation back then. I was too stubborn."

Following Tobio-chan's explanation, to say that Oikawa was shell-shocked would have been an understatement. He was so surprised, he couldn't even talk. When the crows realized that Oikawa wouldn't be joining in a coherent conversation any time soon, they started to leave. But first, Tobio-chan had one last thing to say. And even though he would deny this later, Oikawa felt his heart break a little when his former kouhai and teammate spoke to him is such a blank voice.

"Oikawa-san, I don't know how often we'll even see each other after this, but just in case..." For the first time all day, Tobio looked his old senpai in the eye. "I already knew that the four of you hated me, and I didn't ask to be apart of the bond. Please don't blame me for it."

_crack_

POV CHANGE: Sawamura Daichi

Daichi wasn't really sure what to make of the last thing Kageyama said to Seijoh's captain. 

_I didn't ask to be apart of the bond_ , huh?

So, did that mean that Kageyama had a soulmate-had _four soulmates_ -from Aoba Josai?

Thankfully, he only had the bus ride back to school to worry about that. As soon as they were in the clubroom, Kageyama pulled Hinata aside and signed something to him. Seconds later, Hinata was calling the attemtion of all the other members. 

"Kageyama has something to tell us, and I'm going to translate for him," he announced. 

And so, the story began.

"So, you all know the consequences of my not having hearing aids for volleyball in middle school. All that King of the Court stuff. I haven't said anything yet because I didn't want it to affect the game, but now that the game is over, I think now is a good time to tell you about the more... personal consequences of my stubbornness and lack of hearing aids. 

I figured out that I had four soulmates not long into my first year. The others in the bond didn't realize that I was apart of it because they weren't paying close attention to me. But I had noticed the names of the captain, Oikawa-san, and his best friend were on the arms of three first years, including myself: me, Kindaichi, and Kunimi. They didn't notice the names on my arms because I always had long sleeves, and if I didn't, I used concealer. There was no real reason behind the concealer at first. That was just me being paranoid. Then, I had the realization: my soulmates didn't like me.

After the King of the Court incident, the only thing I had to look forward to was the visit from my cousins on my fifteenth birthday. Unfortunately for me, that was also when my name would appear on Oikawa-san, Iwaizumi-san, Kindaichi and Kunimi's arms. I was basically expecting to be rejected, so on the midnight of my birthday, I put up a block immediately. Maybe that seems paranoid, bit I didn't want to give them the opportunity to hurt me."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Kageyama?"

"Yes?" 

" _Are you okay?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! Sorry I didn't complete the freak-out scene, but I am tired! Haha, cry. Anywho, all comments are greatly appreciated, as are Kudos. I hope you liked this chapter!  
> -Nerd


End file.
